Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Characteristics Associated with Violence and Safety in Middle Schools

Source: Vagi, K. J., Stevens, M. R., Simon, T. R., Basile, K. C., Carter, S. P., & Carter, S. L. (2018). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Characteristics Associated With Violence and Safety in Middle Schools. The Journal of school health, 88(4), 296–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12609

LEARN Brief and Infographic Credits: n/a

Overview: 

Can a building deter violence?  Often, when we think about how to deter violence in schools, we consider additional, costly security and or what we can do for people, such as fostering interpersonal relationships or teaching social skills to deal with conflict.  But as it turns out, buildings and physical environments themselves can be designed and regulated in ways that deter violence and promote feelings of safety and ownership among students, as well as teachers and staff.  

This engaging study examined the application of the 5 CPTED principles to select middle schools in Atlanta, Georgia and found that they were both cost-effective and meaningful ways to promote feelings of student safety and potentially reduce violence in schools.  CPTED principles consist of a) Natural Surveillance, or the elimination of hiding places and the increased monitoring of school spaces by adults, b) Access Management, the creation of real or perceived barriers that provide safe routes for people and vehicles as well as restrict unauthorized access, c) Territoriality, using physical attributes of a space to denote that it is both claimed and cared for, d) Physical Maintenance, or the understanding that repair and upkeep of buildings and spaces denotes a sense of ownership and caring, and e) Order Maintenance, the commitment to monitoring more minor inappropriate behaviors in order to maintain decorum and promote social behavior.  

Key Insights: 

This study shows that strategic building design and maintenance that utilizes the five principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) can play a significant role in deterring school violence and promoting safety.  Employing CPTED principles such as National Surveillance or Access Management can increase feelings of student safety and potentially reduce violence and absenteeism.  The research suggests that taking building design into account can be a comprehensive, cost-effective approach to creating safer schools that has the additional benefit of promoting a sense of community ownership.

Action Steps: CPTED principles include considerations such as inadequate lighting, assessment of hiding places, and quick responses to cleaning gang or hate-related graffiti or maintenance requests.  This particular study suggested that feelings of student safety were also associated with increased school staff monitoring of more vulnerable spaces such as restrooms, locker rooms, parking lots, and school bus loading and unloading areas.  Students can also contribute to the prevention of school violence by participating in “hot spot” mapping and suggesting to adults areas that may need additional monitoring.  Applying CPTED principles to school spaces has the additional benefit of reducing absenteeism, as it can reduce the number of students who miss school due to safety concerns.

Full Study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5858554/